The Vanquish S looks the same as the car that was launched to critical acclaim in 2001: as beautiful as it is brutal and quintessentially British.
But in reality this is a very different machine. It has 60bhp more, a much-improved chassis, bigger brakes and a tastefully redesigned interior.
And that’s why the Vanquish S proves what it does about AM’s present state of mind. Aston could easily have left the Vanquish alone and spent the money somewhere else.
Sales were still strong and no one could deny that the Vanquish continues to do the business in terms of appearance.
But instead Aston chose to throw time and money at the car’s engineering yet had the temerity to leave the visuals well alone. That takes confidence, not to mention determination and a certain clarity of thought.
The big news concerns the engine. New cylinder heads, a revised ECU, more highly polished inlet ports, better fuel injectors and forged conrods allows the 5935cc V12 to produce an extra 60bhp and 25lb ft (making 520bhp and 425lb ft in total) though these peaks are attained slightly higher in the rev range.
At the same time, the gearing has been lowered. Together with the increases in power and torque this, says Aston, shaves nearly two seconds from the 50-70mph time in top.
The chassis is the other area in which Aston has focused its efforts. There are stiffer springs and dampers, a 20 per cent faster steering rack and bigger front brake discs with six-pot calipers. The ride height has been lowered by 5mm.
You’d need to be something of a Vanquish aficionado to spot the tiny new front splitter and the slightly higher lip on the boot lid, but together these reduce the Cd from 0.33 to 0.32.
What you won’t fail to spot, however, is the new interior. The S has had a full makeover and is now far more in keeping with the DB9, right down to the new, more supportive seats.
